{"id":16525,"date":"2024-09-26T12:13:40","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T12:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khabarok.com\/entertainment\/16525\/"},"modified":"2024-09-26T12:13:40","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T12:13:40","slug":"wolfs-movie-review-george-clooney-and-brad-pitt-turn-up-the-charm-for-this-smooth-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khabarok.com\/?p=16525","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Wolfs\u2019 movie review: George Clooney and Brad Pitt turn up the charm for this smooth operation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nA still from \u2018Wolfs\u2019
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Director Jon Watts\u2019 latest non-franchise directorial effort, might just be the most low-profile high-profile movie of the year. On paper, it has everything: George Clooney and Brad Pitt \u2014 two of a fading breed of\u00a0 megastars from Hollywood\u2019s golden age of marquee names, who once made us believe that no matter what they were in, we\u2019d buy a ticket just to watch them \u2014 share the screen in a quirky caper about professional fixers tasked with cleaning up a botched rendezvous in New York. Yet, much like its aging protagonists, Wolfs<\/i> feels a little creaky and self-aware. The film leans heavily on the nostalgia of its stars, and while that\u2019s no minor currency, the result feels more like a laid-back joyride than anything truly gripping.<\/p>\n

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For those expecting something as zippy and sharp as the Ocean\u2019s<\/i> franchise, Wolfs<\/i> starts off in that direction but ultimately takes a slower, more meandering path. Clooney and Pitt play two unnamed fixers (though let\u2019s be real, they\u2019re playing themselves) called in by separate clients to handle the fallout of a very messy evening. Amy Ryan is a politician in the midst of an election campaign, who accidentally finds herself with a dead lover and calls Clooney for help. Pitt, hired by the hotel\u2019s owner to keep things quiet, soon arrives, leading to the inevitable: two rival professionals, each touting, \u201cThere\u2019s nobody who can do what I do\u201d, forced to work together.<\/p>\n

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Wolfs (English)<\/h5>\n

Director:<\/b> Jon Watts<\/p>\n

Cast:<\/b> Heorge Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Poorna Jagannathan<\/p>\n

Runtime:<\/b> 108 minutes<\/p>\n

Storyline:<\/b> Hired to cover up a high-profile crime, a fixer soon finds his night spiralling out of control when he\u2019s forced to work with an unexpected counterpart<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The film leans heavily into their chemistry, which thankfully still has its fair share of spark since their last shared outing in Burn After Reading<\/i>. Clooney plays it smooth, a relaxed confidence that borders on nonchalance, while Pitt, ever the cheeky counter, hams it up with a sort of scruffy charm. The two riff off each other like two grumpy old men who can\u2019t quite recall why they\u2019re bickering in the first place and it\u2019s this Butch and Sundance-like banter that\u2019s the heartbeat of the film, though with a few more groans over bad backs and aching knees. The problem, however, is that beyond their camaraderie, Wolfs<\/i> offers little to elevate itself above those which preceded it.<\/p>\n

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\nA still from \u2018Wolfs\u2019
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Beneath the surface, Wolfs<\/i> feels more like an excuse to revel in their chemistry than a fully-fledged story. Watts, who previously helmed the web-slinging trilogy of Marvel\u2019s Spiderman, seems content to let the Clooney-Pitt duo carry the film, relying on their charisma to mask the thinness of the plot. And for a while, it works. You\u2019ll find yourself smiling at Clooney\u2019s smirking self-assuredness and Pitt\u2019s goofy bravado.<\/p>\n

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But the film never fully sheds its reliance on its leads and functions as a love letter to the era when star power could sell a film on its own. Clooney and Pitt are some of the last actors who can still command attention with little more than their names above the title. And yet, even that kind of wattage isn\u2019t enough to guarantee market success. Once, this pairing would have been an event; now, it\u2019s just another option in your queue.<\/p>\n

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\nA still from \u2018Wolfs\u2019
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The real surprise here isn\u2019t Pitt and Clooney, though their self-deprecating takes on their twilight years do provide some chuckles. It\u2019s Austin Abrams as \u201cthe Kid,\u201d the not-quite-dead lover who awakens mid-movie and transforms the plot from a buddy comedy into a frenetic chase across the city. Abrams plays the quintessential motormouth, injecting a shot of drug-laced energy into the film just when it starts to sag. His kinetic monologue, full of nervy, semi-coherent explanations about how he got mixed up in drugs and mobsters, is one of the film\u2019s true highlights and he manages to outshine his veteran co-stars, at least for a few key scenes.<\/p>\n

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Watts also seems to revel in genre homage. The film tips its hat to Pulp Fiction<\/i>, with a not-so-subtle nod to Harvey Keitel in its grammatically incorrect title, and sprinkles in everything from MacGuffins in bags to POV shots from the trunk of a car. Yet none of this coheres into something greater… perhaps that was never its intention to begin with.<\/p>\n

In the end, Wolfs<\/i> coasts by on charisma rather than craft. It\u2019s fun, occasionally clever, and oh, so smooth, but it\u2019s not particularly memorable. Will you remember the plot? Probably not. Will you enjoy spending two hours in the company of Clooney and Pitt? Absolutely. After all, there is nobody that can do what they can do.<\/p>\n

Wolfs is currently streaming on Apple TV<\/i><\/p>\n

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